Indoor ski slope
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Indoor ski slopes are found in several countries, proving a climate controlled environment can be maintained in which snow can be manufactured using a snow cannon, enabling skiing and snowboarding to take place year-round.
Contents |
[edit] Notable mentions
The world's first indoor slope was Ice Arena, formerly known as Snowdome Adelaide, formerly known as Mt Thebarton Snow & Ice, in Adelaide, Australia, which has since been removed due to running costs.
The world's largest indoor ski area is SnowWorld Landgraaf, the Netherlands (opened 2001) with a total of 35,000 m² of snow. In 2003, the first indoor snowboard FIS WorldCup contest was held in SnowWorld Landgraaf.
The world's longest indoor slope with 640 m is in the AlpinCenter in Bottrop/Germany and the world's first indoor black diamond (difficulty rating) with a 31 percent grade is in the SnowFunPark in Wittenburg/Germany.
SNO!zone operates the UK's only chain of indoor snow slopes. SNO!zone Milton Keynes opened in 2001, in the Xscape centre, followed by SNO!zone Castleford, near Leeds, in 2003, and SNO!zone Scotland was built in Braehead, near Glasgow, in 2006. There is another indoor snow slope at the 'SnowDome' centre in Tamworth near Birmingham, SnowDome
In November 2007 Chill Factore in Manchester, UK opened making it the worlds widest slope at 100m wide at the bottom.
In spring 2008 construction will start on a fourth 500 metre ski slope at SnowWorld Zoetermeer, The Netherlands. After completion SnowWorld Zoetermeer will be, once again, the largest indoor ski area in the world. A new restaurant is planned at 50 metres high, with views of the Zoetermeer skyline. An ice skating rink, a new 400 bedroom hotel and a children's winter playground will be built at the base of the new ski slope.
[edit] Indoor ski slope locations
An incomplete list of operating indoor ski slopes in the world:
[edit] Under Construction
[edit] Proposed
- Ski in the U.A.E. in Ras al-Khaimah a 2000 m slope is under consideration
- Ipswich, Suffolk, UK - SnOasis - 500 m slope with 100 m drop.
- Croydon, London, UK - Unknown - facts are sketchy but is suspected to be considering site in the South of the borough of Croydon.
- Perth, Western Australia - West Coast Snowpark [2]
- Finland, Helsinki; SuperLife Lab - indoor ski and surf center
- Seoul, Korea, Ski Trac.
- A list of all of the indoor slopes proposed for the UK is available at TheBoarder.co.uk (external link)
- SnowWorld Zoetermeer, The Netherlands Fase 3. A fourth 500 m slope with 50 m drop is proposed. Construction starts end 2007. Also including an Ice-skating stadium, restaurants, hotel and a children's winter playground village.
- SnowWorld Landgraaf, The Netherlands Fase 3. A fourth slope, supposedly a small slope being added to accommodate more beginners.
- SnowWorld Barcelona, Spain A suggested copy of the SnowWorld Landgraaf concept. In the very first stages of development.
- The Falls at Lanier Highland Dawson County, Georgia (U.S. state) The Falls at Lanier Highland is a proposed 2,100,000-square-foot (195,000 m2) facility that includes a 1,000,000-square-foot (93,000 m2) indoor ski area.[3]
- Goshen,NY-An indoor ski slope and water park.
- Mount Pegasus in Atlanta, Georgia
- peter glenn snowpark Tampa, florida
[edit] Closed
- Australia, Adelaide - Snowdome Adelaide, formerly known as Mt Thebarton (Closed June 2005; now only running as an ice-rink)
- Japan, Funabashi - SSAWS (Closed September 2002)
